A farm boy being raised by his uncle goes on an adventure with an old man who tells him he is the "only hope" of those that are battling the king and offers to show him how to use his magic and wield a sword. Sound familiar? If you guessed "Star Wars" then you and I think alike. It's also the plot for "Eragon."

Once there was a group of dragon-riders. They protected the land by patrolling the skies on the backs of their fire breathing beasties. One day, a rider decides to kill all of the other riders and take over the kingdom. Legend has it that when a dragon rider dies, his dragon soon follows. Years later the rider, now King (Malkovich) learns that a new dragon is about to be hatched. He orders his henchman, Durza (Carlyle) to find it and destroy it. Durza is a "shade," an evil magician, whose fingernails drip blood, seemingly at will. While hunting in the woods, Eragon (Speleers) comes across a large rock and takes it home. Unbeknownst to Eragon, the rock is actually a dragon egg. Eragon also stumbles onto Brom (Irons), an angry loner from the village who talks of the past. Once the egg hatches, it's only a matter of time before Durza's men track it down and kill anyone found with it. And so the adventure begins.

"Star Wars" references aside, "Eragon" is a fun film that is certain to join the ranks of "Harry Potter" and "Lord of the Rings" in the world of fantasy films. From the moment our little dragon (named Saphira and voiced by Oscar-winner Rachel Weisz) pops out of the shell, the wonder and amazement it brings to the screen is full blown, thanks to the special effects crews from George Lucas' Industrial Light and Magic and Peter Jackson's WETA. Whether playfully romping after Eragon as a "pup" or soaring majestically through the sky, reigning fire on the bad guys, your belief in dragons grows each minute. The cast is equally as good with newcomer Speleers leading the way as the wide eyed boy who slowly becomes a man. Irons is fine as Brom, bringing a quiet wisdom to the role. As for the bad guys, Carlyle is much scarier here then he was as a Bond villain in "The World Is Not Enough." And Malkovich, whose repertoire of bad guys ranges from a would be presidential assassin in "In the Line of Fire" to Cyrus the Virus in "Con Air," is downright evil as the King. The battle scenes are full scale and the scenery is breathtaking.

On a scale of zero to four stars I give "Eragon"